Chapter 8: The Role of Government in Enhancing Teacher Quality

Good morning. I would like to open with a few comments about my effort, as mayor of Indianapolis, where we attempted several reforms, many of which frankly did not succeed.

During my term as mayor in the civil city, we forged terrific labor partnerships, utilizing many tools, including pay-for-performance, and worker productivity went through the roof. I next turned my attention to our poorly performing urban school district, unrestrained by the fact I had no real authority over the schools, and began advocating similar pay-for-performance incentives for teachers. To do so, I had to partake in a bruising legislative battle where the local National Education Association (NEA) chapter vehemently asserted that implementation would be fatally flawed. Finally, the reforms passed in the legislature, and school management and their independent board attempted a version of what passed. However, as predicted by the union, the school district management approached the process quite poorly, neither understanding what the metrics would be, nor how to apply the concept.